The Storm
by Kanan
Summary: Cye and Kento enjoy a relaxing out at the beach, surfing, until a mysterious storm hits, stranding the two of them far from the shore. There is no distress signal, no civilization, no warm or even dry clothes, But at least they have eachother. How will th
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I do not own Ronin Warriors, or the warlords, or Tapla… snuggles white blaze

The storm

Kento's very first surfing lesson went very well. He took to the water almost as quickly as Cye had. Though Kento fell off his board a lot, he enjoyed the experience, and kept getting back up. The two of them had gone to the beach again a while later. They were alone, as their friends had previous plans. Still, the sin was shining, the water was cool, and the surfing was choice!

They surfed for about an hour before stopping to eat lunch on the beach. After that, Cye was lying on the beach for a while, catching the sun's rays. He naturally had pale skin, and he was hoping the day at the beach would change that. However, he was broken out of his thoughts as a beach ball landed right on his bare stomach. He looked up and saw Kento looking down at him. His lips were moving, but Cye couldn't hear him. After a moment, Cye propped himself up on his elbows and took the ear buggies out of his ears ad removed his sunglasses.

"What's up, Kento?"  
"I thought we could play a little one on one in volleyball!"  
"What? Now?"  
"Yeah… unless you're chicken!"

If it was one thing Cye didn't like, it was being called chicken. Smirking, Cye grabbed the ball and ran towards a net that had been already set up. The two went at it for nearly two hours. Kento, being the stronger one, always got the upper hand with his overhead spikes. However, Cye was faster, and he had better maneuverability. Though, by the end of the game, both boys were exhausted and fell down by their stuff. Kento had won the game. Said winner was lying down on his back, panting as if he had just run a marathon. Cye was a little more tired, but he was able to keep it to himself. For a long time after that, he just looked out to the ocean, spacing out.

He finally came to when a cold drink can was pressed up against his cheek. Cye jumped and fell over sideways into the heated sand. When he sat up again, holding his cold cheek, Kento was laughing at him. The stone-cold- ronin warrior was laughing so hard he was almost in tears. Cye blushed a moment and looked away. Kento heaved a few deep breaths, and then cleared his throat, handing over the can. Cye took it, still not looking at his friend. Again, he was drawn to the sight of the shimmering sea. Kento popped open his drink and looked out, also.

"It's nice just sitting out here…"

"I guess."

"The sea is always so peaceful and calming after…"

Cye trailed off, and Kento gave him a sideways glance. Cye had his head down. He was thinking of all the fighting again. Kento knew how much it all bothered his friend, but he also knew there was nothing he could do about it. He just silently hoped something would take their minds off of the fighting and the pain, even for just a while. Just then, Kento yawned. Cye laughed softly and looked over.

"What? You're tired out already? It's barely into the afternoon! I thought you were tougher than that!"

"Hey, I am! Don't go mocking my macho style!"

"Macho, huh? Maybe in your dreams!"

"Ouch!"

"Did I hurt your pride there?"

"Yeah you did, and now I'm gonna give you a noogy!"

"Ah!"

Cye scrambled to his feet and ran away from Kento, who had his arms stretched out wide. He tried to catch up to the other, but tripped in the sand. Cye took a step back to see if he was okay, and the other boy jumped up, covered in sane and sweat and chased him again. It was an adorable sight, to see two best friends running around without a care in the world. That game of tag soon ended as Cye suddenly stopped dead and stared at the water. Kento was slowing down, also, and he didn't look away from what he saw. The waves were raising up higher and higher and crashing down with crushing force.

Kento had never seen such choice waves before, and so he was obviously excited about getting out into it. Cye was a little reluctant to let a beginner out on the big ones, but when Kento reminded him that he was with him, nothing bad could happen. Sighing, Cye looked back to the water. He did want to go out there, and forget about everything else, and so he ran over and grabbed their boards from the sand.

The waves were a bit stronger than what Kento was used to, and Cye helped him out whenever he fell. However, the big waves didn't last long, and they went back to surfing the smaller ones until it started to grow dark. The sun was just beginning to get low in the sky, and the two were quite a ways from shore, they could barely see it from where they were. Cye was lying back on his board and had his eyes closed. He was tired. Kento, on the other hand, was looking around the water.

"Um…Cye?"

"Yeah?"

"Are there sharks out here…?"

"Maybe."

"H-how can you say that so calmly! If there are sharks, they'll eat us!"

"Relax, Kento!"

Cye opened his eyes and sat up, finally.

"If there are sharks, I'm sure they could find a lot more tasting things to eat than us!"

"Was that supposed to be a joke?"

"Maybe!"

"Cye!"

"Cool it! We're perfectly safe out here!"

That's when something completely unexpected happened. Thunder struck above them. Both boys jumped after hearing the loud crash. Soon, dark clouds moved unnaturally fast over their location, and the sea turned choppy. It was all so sudden, and neither of them knew what was going on until they were being pushed and pulled by the water. Cye tried to hold onto Kento's hand, as he was having the most trouble, but a huge wave formed behind them. Neither stood a chance of moving away, and it swept over them. When the choppy water went a little calmer, Cye broke through the surface, gasping. He swam back to his board and looked around, unable to see his friend. The empty board floated nearby, and Cye swam by it, and then left his own board and went back down. It took a minute, but he finally came back up, and helped Kento slide onto his board. Cye was still in the water, and Kento had a death grip on his hand.

"Kento, are you alright!"

"I-I'm fine, man… just a little shaken…"

"I'm with you on that one! This storm came outta nowhere!"

Cye looked up to the sky, and found that it was as wild and angry-looking as an old man who just had his wallet stolen right out of his hands. When Kento squeezed Cye's hand, he looked back and got the hint. They needed to get back to shore. Cye let go of the other's hand for just a moment a made a smart move by tying the boards together by the anklet tethers. Then, he mounted his own board and the two of them padded their way towards shore.

The scary thing was, no matter how long or hard they paddled, they only seemed to be getting further away from their destination. The beach was soon out of sight, and Cye stopped paddling. The storm was not natural at all, and whoever had summoned it did not want them going that way, he began to desperately look for an alternative. Much to his dismay, there was only one, and it wouldn't be pleasant. The current was pushing them towards a rocky cliff, possibly on another island. But there was nothing there but rocks. If they hit full on, they probably wouldn't survive.

"Cye… we'll be okay, right?"

He could tell Kento was afraid. Water wasn't his element, and he couldn't find much assurance in it; though, at the time, Cye was, strangely enough, having the same problems. Could he trust the water to help them, or was he on his own that time? He was a strong swimmer, but everyone had limits, and he wasn't sure what he could manage when he was so tired. But, instead of projecting worry and fear, Cye showed a hopeful smile.

"We'll be fine! I have an idea, but I need you to really trust me!"

"I trust you, man."

"Okay. Just let me do all the work!"

Kento nodded and pulled his hands out of the water and he grabbed onto the side of his board as Cye turned them around. He was heading towards the cliffs. At first, Kento thought he was crazy, but he did trust his friend to protect them. As he swam, Cye concentrated on trying to control the water just around them. He searched out with his mind. And saw something like a hole in the cliff wall. He only had a moment to act, as they had gotten dangerously close, and he rolled both of them off their boards and into the choppy water. They went down, and their boards were smashed into the rock.

The winds were blowing, and the water was still tough to navigate through, even for the water ronin. Luckily, fate was on his side, and he managed to swim around and find the hole in the cliff. He wasn't so lucky getting there, however, because he and Kento were literally thrown inside. Cye groaned as his legs got scratched up by the rough cave, but he had to keep moving. He hauled himself up, and half-drug Kento in far enough so that they were free of the waves.

Cye laid Kento down flat on his back and checked him out. He had a nasty scrape on his arm, and there was some blood on his swim shorts. At the time, he wasn't sure if he had a cut there, or if it was from his arm. At least Kento was breathing, if not a little roughly. Then, he turned the other boy onto his stomach and pushed up on his back, that forced a great deal of seawater out of his lungs, and after a few silent minutes of that, Kento finally reacted, spitting up even more. Then, he coughed, some, and moved his arms from his side to cradle his face, which was lying on the floor of the cold cave. Cye continued to tend to Kento until he was sure that he was okay. As he was doing that, he noticed that some peach colored droplets were falling from his hair and face and onto the back of Kento's swim shirt. Reaching a hand up, he was horrified to see blood on his hand. Sighing, he looked out to the angry sky.

"…What will become of us here…?"


	2. Chapter 2

Kento was still very out of t when his arm was being wrapped up. Cye had ripped one of the sleeves off of his swim outfit and was using that. Some of the other sleeve had been torn off and was used to wipe some blood away from his own face, not like it had helped. Kento groaned and winced when Cye tightened the cloth over his arm, and blinked.

"Good to see you're still with me, friend."

"Cye…?"

Kento's vision was blurry, and it took him a while to adjust his sight to the darkness. The first thing he saw was red, and then he noticed he was face-to-face with his best friend. His arm really hurt.

"Cye… where are we?"

"I'm not sure. But I'm afraid wherever we are, we're stuck here."

"Oh, great…"

"Sorry."

"Huh? What are you apologizing for?"

"I should have seen this coming, and gotten us back to shore sooner! You got hurt because of it."

"Hey, don't go blaming yourself! I probably would have called you crazy if you said thee was gonna be a storm, anyway. This was completely out of our hands."

Then, Cye was silent a moment and Kento looked at his arm. Cye's sleeve was wrapped very tightly around it, but he could still move it, a little. His feet were scraped up, though, and that hurt more than his arm. He laughed a little at the irony of it, until he saw Cye sway a little and his friend fell back against the other side of the cave.

"Cye?"

Kento got on his hands and knees and reached out to check on him. That's when lightning struck again, and Kento gasped. Almost the entire left side of Cye's face was covered in blood. His skin split somewhere on his forehead, but he couldn't see where in the dark. Kento waited for another flash so he could locate the abandoned piece of cloth from his friend's other sleeve before making his way to him. He got the cloth wet in a puddle and folded it up, then he moved some of Cye's bangs away and pressed the cloth to what he thought was the cut. It bled some more, and Cye's eyes were closed at Kento tried to keep his head up.

"Cye? Cye! You still with me, man!"

Cye made a quiet noise in his throat, but didn't open his eyes.

"You couldn't keep me away no matter how hard you try…"

"Yeah, I guess not."

Kento lifted the cloth up and thought he was going to be sick. The blood was thick, and Cye was badly shaking.

"How long has this been bleeding, Cye?"

"…"

"Cye?"

"Mm?"

"How long?"

"Don't remember…"

"Oh, Cye…"

When he went to wet the cloth again, he noticed that he was shaking, too. Neither of them could dry off, and it was a very cold night by the water. Sighing, he washed the blood off of his friend's face and then he held him close. They needed to keep warm until someone found them. …if anyone ever found them. Cye was shivering a lot more than him, and he hugged his friend tighter.

"Hold on, Cye… you just relax now! I'll take care of things for a while…"

Back at the Koji mansion, Sage was getting a very bad feeling.


	3. Chapter 3

All was dead silent at the Koji mansion. Outside, there was a major storm going on; one none of them was willing to risk venturing out into. Since they had seen the news report about the storm, originating at the beach, and since they had not received any word from two of their friends, worry spread around the entire house. Everyone was gathered in the living room. Mia was sitting on the couch with Rowen at her side, comforting her, Sage was standing against the wall with his eyes closed and arms folded over his chest, and Ryo was pacing.

"They should have called by now."

Rowen sighed for the umpteenth time, and looked up at his worried leader. He was going to tell him to calm down, but looking into his worried face, he couldn't do it. They were all worried for Kento and Cye. They had been gone since morning, saying they were going surfing at the beach, and it was already late into the night. It had been nearly six hours since the storm had started, and they were beginning to wonder what had happened to them. The last they heard from the duo was just before noon. They gave no indication that they would be returning soon, and now, everyone wondered if they would be returning at all.

Finally, just when Rowen was getting the courage to talk to Ryo, Sage pushed off of the wall. Rowen gasped. He hadn't seen Sage move or speak for a long time, and to see him step around the couch with fire in his eyes was quite a move, indeed. Ryo couldn't have looked more fierce if he tried. Sage stepped right into Ryo's path, and the other boy stopped. Sage was glaring, silently trying to calm the other down, but Ryo was too worried to be reasoned with that way, and returned the glare with equal strength.

Rowen was worried. Sage wasn't handling the situation with care, and it looked as if there was going to be a brawl. He noticed that Sage had a calm demeanor to him; his stance, his spirit, but his face showed one that matched their leader. Ryo, on the other hand, wasn't so calm. His hands were balled into tight fists, slowly turning white, and after a while, his shoulders had begun to shake. When that happened, Ryo broke the glare and he turned his head away as tears filled his eyes. Sighing, and letting down his glare, Sage took a step foreward and pulled their leader close.

Ryo was calmer now, and once his tears mostly stopped, Sage led him to the couch to sit in between Rowen and Mia. His head immediately went down into his hands, and his shoulders still lightly shook with sobs.

"My head hurts…"

"Oh, Ryo…"

"You're going to worry yourself to death at this rate."

Rowen disappeared into the kitchen for a moment, and when he came back, Sage was kneeling on the floor in front of him and Mia. Ryo had moved into a sitting position, laying his head over the back of the couch with an arm draped over his face. He looked a mess. When Rowen came back into the living room holding an ice pack, Sage helped Ryo lay down onto Mia's lap, and Mia held the ice pack to his head. Sage motioned that he and Rowen should leave the room for a moment, and Mia let them go, staying to watch out for the other. The other two then went out into the hall. Rowen took a seat on the stairs, and Sage leaned up against the rail.

"Ryo worries so much…"

"I can't imagine how hard it must be for him, being the leader. He thinks he has to protect all of us, and when there is even a small chance that we're in trouble…"

"What are you saying? You think Cye and Kento are hurt?"

"I don't know. I think we would all feel it if they were badly hurt, but since they left their crystals behind, there is still that possibility."

Rowen sighed and hung his head.

"I don't even want to think about it…"

"Neither do I, of course."

Both of them had a moment of silence, and Mia looked over at them from the living room, wondering what they were talking about so quietly. Was it something that they didn't want Ryo to know about? Rowen sighed again, and Sage looked at him.

"They said that storm was deadly… and it came out of nowhere! What if the two of them were… out there when it was starting up?"

Sage couldn't give an answer.

"I mean, I know Cye was out there, but cou he handle such a devastating storm? And what about Kento?"

Again, Sage couldn't reply.

"What if they were out there, and they're hurt somewhere! If they're okay, then why haven't they called us yet!"

Sage remained silent as the stalagmite he had been sealed in before.

"And furthermore, why aren't we out there searching for them?"

"The storm."

Finally, an answer, no matter how short it was. Rowen was getting hysterical, but Sage was calm as ever, if not a bit sad. He was equally worried, but he knew there were times when he was needed to be the anchor that held them all together. He had to be strong now, no matter how hard it was.

"Forget the storm! I mean, if we can defeat a dark sorcerer, we can survive a little wind and rain, right?"

"Rowen, calm down."

"I'm tired of being calm! Cye and Kento could be out there, fighting for their lives, and we're just sitting here doing nothing! I can't stand this! What is going on!"

Rowen suddenly gasped as Sage pinned him against the wall. If he had been just an inch to the left, his head would have hit a hanging picture. Ironically, it was one of all of them, happy. Rowen wasn't prepared to be pushed back, but Sage hadn't done it out of rage. He was holding Rowen's shoulders gently, and had a faltering expression. It was then that Rowen saw that Sage wasn't calm at all. He was just as worried. After a long minute, Sage let go of Rowen, and took a step back, but he didn't avert his eyes from his friend's.

"Ro, I can't give you the answers you want. I don't know where those two are, or how they're doing. But getting all worked up wont do them any good. Those two are strong, and no way in hell would they let something like, this storm, do them in. We can't go out in that storm just yet, and it wouldn't help them if we tried and ended up getting ourselves hurt. What we can do for them now is sit tight and pray that they're okay. Have faith in them, and they will be just fine. In fact, they'll be better than fine. Don't let your emotions get the best of you."

Rowen was touched by Sage's speech, and slightly nodded his head in understanding. Then, Sage brought Rowen in and embraced him like he had for Ryo. In his head, he made a small prayer.

'Be okay, guys… I want to be able to see your smiling faces again… and there's a welcome home hug waiting for the both of you.'

Sage closed his eyes tightly, still hugging Rowen. He was letting the fear get to him, too.

'We'll come for you as soon as we can… Just have faith!'


	4. Chapter 4

Fortunately, by the time the next morning came, the storm had ended, and the sun came up over the water. Even though it was still early, it was very warm. Cye had wished he had worn sandals, but since he hadn't, he wandered around the island he and Kento were stranded on. He had to mostly walk on rocks, and some of them cut into his feet. Ignoring the pain, he walked around for quite a while, checking things out and even gathering some food. as he walked along the beach, he saw many fish swimming there, but he wasn't so desperate to go that far. Instead, he gathered bananas, coconuts, and some berries together and returned to where he and Kento had moved to, from the cave. It was on the opposite corner of the island, right on the beach that had very little rocks.

Kento was sitting on the shore messing with something when Cye ran up to him. He was relieved to see his friend hadn't taken so long, and smiled at seeing the food. Cye came over and set the stuff down.

"Aw… is that all you could find?"

"Well, I saw some animals here, but I just couldn't… you know."

"Hey, no problem, man! Maybe I'll go out and hunt later."

"I hope there isn't a later. I don't like the idea of us having to stay out here in the middle of nowhere for very long."

"Sure, there isn't a TV or a refrigerator, but it isn't all that bad! It's like camping!"

"Not exactly…"

Kento looked at the berries and got an idea. He grabbed on, squished it, and then used it to paint on something. Cye looked over, curious.

"What do you have there?"

"Oh this? Look! It just drifted onto shore!"

Kento held up a worn white volleyball. I had some old, thick reeds stuck in the top of it, and Kento had drawn eyes on it with the berry juice, making it look like a head with hair.

"I think I'll call him Wilson!"

Glaring, and obviously not amused, Cye grabbed the ball and kicked it back into the ocean. Kento whimpered and then sighed.

"Well, there goes my friend… What'll we do for fun NOW?"

"This isn't a weekend excursion, Kento! We don't have time to mess around!"

"I know…"

Then, Kento looked over as Cye collapsed onto the ground. He looked tired as he curled in on himself. He had a lot of scratches all over him, which included a few scars on his legs, and other, smaller injuries from their storm encounter. Kento picked up a coconut and held it out to his friend, who was facing him on the sand, eyes closed.

"Hey, are you hungry, buddy? This thingy here looks interesting!"

"No, thanks… you go ahead and eat."

"…Do you expect to starve yourself?"

"I had some berries on the way. I'll be okay. You're the one who needs it to keep your strength up."

"…"

"Just eat."

"…Okay."

Cye wasn't in good shape, and Kento knew it. Both of them did, even though Cye tried to hide it behind his mask. No matter how good and convincing he thought his act was, Kento could always see through it. Cye needed help. The cut on his forehead was no longer bleeding, but it needed proper medical treatment, and on top of that, he needed to eat. Even at Mia's house, he barely ate a thing since the war ended with Talpa, but not eating was something Kento would not condone. Standing up, he walked off, leaving a sleeping Cye on the shore.

The water ronin awoke a few hours later to find Kento nearby, cooking something that smelled a lot like meat. Sitting up, Kento smiled at him, and then brought over a bit for Cye to try. He put the meat in his mouth and Kento waited for his approval.

"Well?"

"…It's not bad. You're a fairly good cook."

"Aw, shucks! You're gonna make me blush!"

"No, really! It's very good! Maybe I don't have to cook so much now…"

"You're kidding, right? No way am I gonna let you stop cooking, man!"

"Kento…"

They smiled, and then Kento helped Cye up. They gathered around the fire to eat. After a while, Kento had finished a lot of the meat off, and burped loudly. Cye gave him a stern look.

"Ahahaha… sorry!"

Shaking his head, Cye went back to eating only his first serving. Kento looked down. Then, Cye started coughing and he went to his side, patting his back.

"Cye, man, are you okay?"

"Yeah… -cough- Meat down the wrong tube or something…"

"Maybe you could use some water!"

"Yeah, if we had any!"

"Uh, hello! We're on an island! We're surrounded by the stuff!"

"But we can't drink saltwater!"

"Why not?"

"Well, our bodies are not made to handle the salt content. Drinking that water wouldn't satisfy our thirst, and we could get really sick!"

"Oh… well, since you're the water expert, I'll take your word for it!"

Then, Cye stood up, finally having finished his meat.

"But, you have a point. We can't survive without water. Maybe there is a creek somewhere here we can drink from."

"Great! Lets go look!"

Cye nodded and the two walked off. It was a very small island, and so there weren't many places to look. Fortunately, it didn't take long to find a sanitary water source, either. Once they found one, they both took a long drink. Then, quite unexpectedly, Kento jumped in. Cye tried to warn him, but it was too late.


	5. Chapter 5

Cye tried to warn Kento of the dangers of jumping into that particular body of water, but it was too late. Mere moments after jumping in, Kento walked out nearly in tears, covered from head to toe with leaches. Cye stared at him a moment before falling over, laughing.

"It's not funny!"

Later, Cye was peeling off the last of the blood-suckers, and Kento was pouting. After the leaches were removed, Cye rubbed lake water and a special herb on the red spots to make his friend feel better. Once that was done, he handed Kento back his shirt and shook his finger.

"Now, what did we learn here today?"

"That you can fall over giggling like a little girl at the sight of a friend in need?"

Cye blushed and cleared his throat.

"No, no! I mean, it WAS funny… you had the most priceless look on your face…"

"Yeah, I guess…"

"I'm sorry, Kento."

"Yeah, don't worry about it."

"So, what else did we learn?"

"Don't jump into random pools of water?"

"Right. Good job."

The campfire lit up the small side of beach the boys were sitting on, and the light had already faded into nothing again. Seeing that there was, again, no hope of getting off the island that day, Cye sighed and lay down upon the cooling sand. Kento sighed in agreement.

"…I want a burger…" Said Kento.

"I want to go home…" Replied Cye.

They closed their eyes and drifted off into a light slumber. The night was calm, and quiet, at least for a few hours. When Cye was shaken awake, a light rainfall was coming down on him, making him shiver. He looked up into Kento's worried eyes.

"What's going on…!"

"It's a wicked bad storm, man! Get up!"

Cye forced his aching muscles to move and stood up. The rain was only getting worse. Kento danced around holding a big leaf over his head.

"What will we do, man?"

"We should head back to the cave from before!"

"I tried! The path is completely blocked off!"

"Drat… lets head further in, then! If the tide comes up, we wont last out here on shore!"

So, the two tread through the felled trees, the low-hanging vines, sticky spider webs, and prickly and itchy brush. They walked past the lake Kento had jumped into before, and past an open area. That was the last thing they were trying to find. They just wanted a safe, dry place to rest until the storm was over. But the cold was getting to them both, and Kento stopped, gripping his stomach hard. Cye turned back and rubbed his back. He had to speak loudly to be heard over the rain and thunder.

"Are you okay?"

"This sucks… I'm so hungry…!"

"I know, Kento… I'm sorry…"

Cye was still convinced that the situation was his fault, and he wanted so much to help his friend. So, he helped Kento stand up and the two kept walking. It was an hour into the storm before they had found any hope of warming up. Then, in the dark, Cye spotted a cave. Kento was able to walk on his own by then, and so seeing the cave gave him a lot of hope. The two quickly ran for it, shouting with glee. However, just before they got there, they heard a loud growl. Cye froze, and Kento stood there, trying not to panic.

Out of the dark cave, came a large animal. In the dark, they couldn't see what it was, but it could have been a bear. It growled again, and Cye took a step back. When he did, Kento flexed his arm, still with a bandage on it.

"Hey you! Listen, we've had a rough time out here as it is, and there is no way in hell I'm gonna let you keep us from getting in that cave!"

The animal growled, and took a swing at Kento. He dodged it, but he underestimated how weak he was, and couldn't stand back up right away. The animal was ready to swing again until a rock flew the air and hit it in the head. It turned to face Cye, who was weakly standing up.

"Cye, run! I can take him, man!"

But he didn't speak soon enough. The animal ran at Cye and hit him in the chest. Cye flew back and disappeared down a hill. Kento yelled for him and got to his feet. He spotted an old log by him and picked it up, and, using up the last of his strength, threw it at the animal. That did the trick of scaring it off, but it didn't go the right way. It vanished back into the cave. It was obvious that the due wouldn't be bunking there during the storm.

Sighing, Kento grabbed his now sore arm and walked down towards the top of the hill where his friend was last seen. Looking down, he could see Cye lying unmoving on the grassy area. Slowly, he started to climb down. He lost his footing, however, and fell the rest of the way. He landed hard on his back right next to Cye. After taking a few deep breaths, he groaned and turned his head to the side.

"Cye… Cye, are you okay, man…?"

Cye didn't answer. Kento could tell he was still alive, as he heard him sobbing, but it was muffled and hard, considering the fact that he was on his stomach. Neither boy had the strength to move any longer. Kento moved his head back up, thankful that there was a tree there to block most of the rain from his face. He could hear Cye crying, but he couldn't do anything about it. Silently, he started crying, himself, and the night fell silent- the rain drowning out all other sound.


	6. Chapter 6

Another day or two passed, and the stranded ronins were lying out on the beach on a blistering hot day. It was hard for them to recall how long it had been since they landed there on the island, and neither had the energy to do anything or go anywhere. Sure, they had found some vegetation and fruits to eat, but it wasn't enough to give them energy, and for Cye's sake, Kento wouldn't fish.

Kento was tanning nicely, but he was visibly a bit thinner, also, and the makeshift bandages that Cye had made him days earlier were not looking pretty. His hair was caked in sand and sweat, and his outfit could never be worn again. He strained to turn his head slightly to look at his friend. Cye's cuts were dark, especially the infected one just above his eye, and his skin wasn't tanning like Kento's, but he never did tan well. His hair was messed up badly, and his face was tinged slightly pink.

If simply being stranded in a place where there wasn't a shower or adequate food supplies wasn't bad enough, the bear attack had taken its toll on the water bearer's energy reserves. He barely moved, complaining of chest pain and he may have suffered a few bruised ribs. Whenever the tide started to rise, Kento had to pull his buddy out of the way, less he be dragged down into the hungry Ocean. Even if it was his element, it had proven to them both that it wasn't always safe.

Absently, Kento mused on how bright it was, and how warm he had been all morning. It was probably well into the afternoon by then, and he was just so tired. It was hot, he was hurting, and it made him absolutely miserable. Then, as he started to drift off, a cool feeling started to reach him, starting down at his feet, and it spread upwards. It was amazing… though it stung his open and healing cuts, the crisp coolness made his body feel relaxed. But, he had to wonder where it was coming from. He was almost asleep when the cold spread way higher, and that woke him immediately. There was water up to his waist, from the rising tide, and he struggled to sit up.

"Hold still…"

Kento was half-sitting when a hand rested on his shoulder. It was Cye. He was sitting up, something he hadn't been able to do in a while, and was looking a little more refreshed, as well.

"Cye… you feeling better now?"

"A little…"

"How did that happen?"

Cye looked back at the rising water and Kento got an idea of what it was. Maybe their five elements were more connected to them and their armors than they thought! Kento knew that there were times when their armors were slightly recharged when in their element, but he didn't know it could do so without their armors. He smiled, as Cye seemed to be okay, and they were high enough on the beach that they wouldn't be buried, and lied back down.

"Kento…"

He nodded, knowing exactly what the other was thinking. Though, Kento knew of only one place with a large amount of rocks, and it was impossible to get past the bear.

"Kento-"

"Forget it, Cye. It just wont work!"

"Then we'll make it work."

Cye got to his feet, and managed to help the exhausted other up. Soon, they were retracing their steps back through the mess of a path they had found during the storm. It was a slow walk, as Cye could hardly breathe without hurting his ribs, and Kento was a big guy with hardly any energy to use in carrying himself. Somehow, the two managed to find their way back to the large cave, and stood at a good distance away, just staring and waiting.

"Do you think he's in there? I don't hear anything…"

"I don't know… maybe we should go back."

"What?"

"Your energy can be easily recovered… I can wait until we get off this stupid island to recharge!"

"But we have no idea how long that could be!"

Cye looked around for a minute, and then spotted a cozy spot in the shade of a big palm tree, and he walked over. Kento wasn't sure what to think as Cye lowered him down onto the sand, and started walking off, but when he saw that his friend was going in the direction of the cave, he tried to follow; he failed.

"Cye! Geeze, man, come back! That bear already messed you up enough!"

The water bearer ignored him and kept on going, slowly, carefully, on his own. When his form disappeared into the cave, Kento held onto his breath. It was a few more minutes, it seemed, before Cye came back out and was helping his friend up. Cye was smiling.

"What is it…?"

"The cave is empty! We have a chance now, and we're gonna take it!"

The two slowly sauntered into the cave, and immediately, Kento could feel the energy around him, waiting to fill him up. It was amazing how much energy was lingering in the thick rocks, and it nearly brought a tear to his eyes when he sat down and let it flow into him. It was warm and filled him wholly and completely. He closed his eyes and stayed that way for a long time. Cye remained just outside the cave to watch out for the bear, but half a day passed and the growling fiend still had not returned.

As he sat and waited, Cye absently thought about their ordeal, and how the others were doing. He knew Sage would keep most of the group calm, but their hot-headed leader would not be so easily comforted. If only there was a way to contact them, to send them a message of wellness… but he could not think of any possible way that could work. Sitting outside for so long, Cye began to drift off, his energy reserves lowering again, and he almost lost consciousness- that is, until he heard echoed footsteps making their way to the entrance of the cave.

Cye looked up as his friend walked out, looking strong as ever; he was almost glowing. The water bearer smiled at this and took the offered hand that helped him back into a standing position. His ribs still complained, but he ignored that and walked with Kento back towards the beach. The brush seemed thicker each time they had to make the journey, but they had begun to pay it no mind. It just meant they had to spend a little more energy, and while they worked their way back down the path, they conversed.

"You appear to be much better, Kento! I guess that cave did the trick, ne?"

"You bet! Aw, man, if that bear had attacked right now, I'd have the upper hand, this time! If only we'd thought about that sooner, we wouldn't have gotten trashed by Yogi!"

Cye laughed softly, just enough so he could be heard, but not enough to cause himself too much pain. Kento really did watch too much television! ….Ahh… television… one luxury that the duo had taken advantage of until now. Usually, Kento and Rowen, or Ryo would be playing some loud, annoying video game, jumping around unnecessarily and slamming the controller around, but it was better than sitting on a beach getting sand all over you all day. Kento missed video games, the kitchen, his messy room; Cye missed his kitchen, his Suiki plushie, and the shower. Did he mention the shower?

Just then, as they began to see through the thick brush, both of them stopped cold. A tingling feeling, like a small electric shock shot through them, and after a moment of shock, a feeling of hope spread through them. That's when they stopped walking, and sprinted as fast as they could to the beach. Once there, the two of them paused again as the faint silhouette of a ship appeared on the horrizon.

"A boat! We're saved!!"

Cye squinted his eyes, and tightened his weakened senses and gasped. He sensed their own on that ship! He sensed…

"It's the guys! And the coast guard! 3"

"Wow! That's so awesome! Hey, guys! GUUUUYS!!"

The two shouted as loud as they could, standing on the edge of the beach, waving their arms about like mad, but the ship continued to sail right past them and the island. Cye was getting tired and sore, and knew the crewmen wouldn't be able to spot two people on a faraway beach, even if some of the passengers were their best friends and fellow Ronin Warriors. Instead, he had a plan. Kento was still yelling, until he saw Cye run to one of the trees and started to tear its branches off.

"Cye? What're you doing?"

"We have to make some kind of signal! If we can burn this stuff, maybe we can get their attention!"

"Cye… A little fire probably wont do much good!"

"Yes… but if Ryo is with them…"

"!"

Cye had a good point, and that made Kento smile widely. He quickly started up a fire in the makeshift fire-pit they had made earlier, and then helped gather some leaves and wood to burn. Within minutes, the fire was built large enough that nobody could miss it. However, the boat was now no longer in sight. Kento stood anxiously on the shore, while Cye resigned to sit, anxious.

"Cye… I don't see…"

"Easy…give it another minute…"

A minute passed, and then ten, and still no ship. Kento kept his tired eyes on the water, and Cye was the one who was giving up hope.


	7. Chapter 7

Nearly a week had passed since the sudden disappearance of Cye and Kento, and the rest of the group was on pins and needles. They spent the first three days scouring the numerous beaches nearby on foot, and the past two on a boat with the coast guard. The group had already spent four hours on the water, and there was still no sign of their friends. Ryo sighed and leaned against the rail, staring out at the empty, glistening water. They'd circled three islands and were now on their way back to the port… in disappointment. Binoculars bumped roughly against the ronin's chest as the boat bounced on the water, but the leader paid it no mind. This, and the sad emotions circling the group for the past week made Mia frown. She hated seeing the guys worry so much, and she knew there wasn't much she could to help, but still, she knew she had to do something, so she put on a reassuring smile and brought a cup of coffee to her lover. Ryo was almost startled by her sudden appearance, but he was grateful for the drink.

"Thanks, Mia…" He took a drink and tried to smile- he knew she was trying her best, too…

"Has anyone seen anything yet?" She was sad to have to shake her head.

"The coast guard said we have to go back now. When it gets dark, we wont be able to navigate safely through the islands."

"I see… so they're giving up." The young man hung his head.

"Ryo…"

"I want to believe that they're still alive out there, Mia… they've just gotta be!"

"I want to believe that, too, Ryo. But…"

She paused a minute, and Ryo already knew what she was going to say. He already knew, anyway. Looking back, Mia spotted Sage as he sat on a crate near the back of the boat, and Rowen, who was up on the observation deck still searching. They knew the possibilities, but they were still all looking. Turning her head back to Ryo, Mia smiled softly and set a hand on his shoulder, bringing his head back up.

"Don't give up, Ryo! Kento and Cye have been in some tough situations before… I'm positive we'll find them!"

"Thanks, Mia… I hope you're right."

Ryo then looked back out at the water and took another drink of his coffee before setting it down on the deck. He wanted to believe Mia, he really did, but her words could not replace words he'd heard earlier the day before from the coast guard officers. They haunted him to no end.

'That storm was sudden and deadly- the worst they'd seen in several years. Even if some poor, unfortunate soul had been caught in it while out at sea, there was very little chance they could have survived. Even if they had, surviving without food or shelter and with no drinkable water, nobody would last more than two days at the most.'

How could they just blurt something out like that? Even though his friends weren't just anybody, he knew the odds… and as he hung his head, he tried to ignore them. Absently, he fingered the armor orb in his pocket, marveled at its ever-present warmth. It helped to bring calm to his mind, almost like the wildfire armor was trying to provide comfort. He pulled it out of his jacket pocket and held it up against the background of the glittering water. It looked beautiful… but it wasn't enough to bring a steady calm to the distressed ronin. However, as he turned to g back to the cabin to sulk, the orb flashed.

Ryo paused a moment and stared at it. Had he imagined it? Was he going insane?! No… he had to be sure he'd seen right, so he held it up again. Nothing happened when he held it there, but as they passed by an island they'd gone by earlier, it flashed again, this time several times. Ryo was sure his armor was telling him something. It was only then that he noticed a thin line of smoke rising up from the far end of the island's beach. He fumbled to put his orb back in his pocket and rose the binoculars to see. Yes, it was smoke! It'd been so rainy that a fire couldn't have started up all on its own, and that lifted Ryo's spirits and brought a great big smile back to his face.

He nearly got whiplash as he turned his head to face the others again. Mia was sitting next to Sage, now, and they nearly jumped at his yells.

"Guys! Sage, Mia, Rowen! I can sense them now! I know where they are!!"

Ryo pointed out the smoke and the ronins concentrated. Within seconds their eyes flew open, virtues also flashing, and Rowen hurried to tell the coastguard where to go. Ryo stayed at the edge looking over at the island with hope.

'Hang in there, you two! We're FINALLY on our way!'

--

Meanwhile, on said island, Cye was sitting upright against a rough palm tree, not moving or talking, and Kento was sitting out on the sand playing with some random little rocks. He'd long since grown tired of staring out at an empty ocean, so he tried to busy his mind to keep from losing it, completely. He seemed content playing with them and talking. Well, he'd wanted to hold a conversation with Cye, but since the water bearer wasn't responding, it was more like he was talking to himself.

"It's been a while since that boat came by. I wonder where it was going… Think the guys were really on there? …I know, we felt them, right? But Ryo can be a bit spacey, sometimes… maybe he didn't see our signal." The slimming ronin glanced over at said signal, seeing as it was starting to go out. "Te fire's sure getting small. Think we should build it up a bit more?" He waited a moment before looking up. "Yeah, it might start raining again at any time, and that would suck."

He sighed and looked back down at the rocks and sand. He could feel the energy he'd gathered earlier starting to leak out of him, already, but he dared not go back to the cave on his own. He hated this… he hated this place, the whole situation… He felt weak, helpless, and hungry on top of it all! It felt as though he hadn't eaten anything in forever! Feeling his stomach complain, Kento decided to follow Cye's example and pulled his knees to his chest, hoping to silence his complaining body. Slowly, he could feel his eyes falling closed as the last bit of his strength left him.

"Well, buddy…. Looks like this is it. I really wish we could have made it back, together… but at least we still have each…other."

"Kento… s-sorry…"

"'Sokay, buddy. Not your fault. Man… so tired…"

"Kento…"

"Kento…!"

The ronin of hard rock could have sworn he heard someone calling for him, but the voices sounded so far away from him. Who was it?

"Kento…! Cye…!"

Calling for Cye, too? Who was it? Who was calling? Trying not to exhaust himself, the warrior lifted his heavy head up off of his knees and weakly glanced out at the open sea. At first, he thought he'd gone nuts, but then, though a blurry haze, he saw it. A boat. Not just any boat, a speed boat! Then it hit him, and a strength he didn't know he had came forth; he stood right up and rubbed his eyes.

"That's not just a speedboat! It's the GUYS on a speedboat! GUUUUUYS!!" He shouted at the top of his hurting lungs. The commotion brought Cye's head up, too, though more weakly. Just offshore, the sounds of their friend's calls echoed on the tides, and the ronins didn't even wait until they reached the shore before jumping out of the slowing boat and running towards their friends on shore. Ryo was out in front, and Kento couldn't have been happier… unless they'd brought food with them. The tired Kento walked briskly towards the leader of the group and they threw their arms around each other, nearly crying tears of joy and relief.

"Kento, I can't believe it! You're really here!"

"Yeah! Hey, what took you so long? We've been waiting, you know!" No matter how tired he had been before, he managed to find time to joke about, and his humor was calming. Although, Rowen was just a bit too excited as he ran at them, nearly knocking the two of them over as he, also hugged Kento.

"MAN, Kento! You look a mess! You okay?"

"I will be, once I get some food in me! I am STARVING!"

"I bet! So how about I take ya out to an all-you-can-eat restaurant all week long?"

"WOO-HOO!"

Sage and Mia finally reached them and they were smiling. Kento was still tearing, slightly, but seeing the caring faces of his friends, he wiped his tears and turned.

"Cye, your fire idea worked! …Cye?"

Everyone followed his gaze to the boy sitting up against the tree. The eldest ronin's head was up a little, resting atop his crossed arms, but he hadn't made any move towards them. Cautiously, Sage and Ryo moved over to him as Rowen followed, supporting Kento. Sage knelt by the boy and immediately noticed his ragged appearance, as well as his infected cuts. He set a hand on the boy's forehead, and getting a feeling, Rowen did the same for Kento. Both had feverish skin, but at least they were alive.

"Guys, we kinda got in a brawl with a bear the other day, which SUCKED. I think he hurt Cye's ribs up pretty bad."

"That's awful!" Mia said with a frown, but the others knew things would be okay. Carefully, Ryo and Sage each took an arm and slowly lifted Cye to his feet. He winced, but for the first in a long time, he smiled, anyway.

"Making a fire… am I a genius or what?"

"You're brilliant, Cye! Just hang in there…"

"Okay…"

The ronins helped their weary friends into the boat, then, and though they had gone through hell, they managed to fall into easy rest, now that they were back in the comfort of their own. But, for some, the memory of this event may not fade so easily.


	8. Chapter 8

Nearly a week had passed after the two ronins had been rescued from the small island, and already, Kento was starting to get back to his normal size and weight. He was anemic when they'd found him, and his arm had been badly damaged, but with a few days of eating and rest, he was feeling better. He'd nearly gotten an ulcer from lack of proper food, and so the first few days of eating normally again were difficult for him, on top of having a head cold. But, he was finally out and about again, taking Rowen up on his offer of free food.

Cye, on the other hand, was struggling. Many of his cuts had been badly infected and cepticemia had kicked in a day or so before they'd been found. It was close, but his fever was finally going down. His ribs were, indeed, bruised up, so most of the day, he just stayed in bed, staring out the window. He rarely ate, moved, or spoke. Kento managed to get him to talk once or twice, but that was it; though, in Sage's eyes, Cye had no secrets.

"It's guilt."

Rowen looked up from his book, blinking in confusion from Sage's random comment. He'd just been sitting there, minding his own business when Sage said that. Not sure what his best friend meant, he lowered his book and quirked a brow.

"What are you talking about, Sage?"

"Cye. I think he feels guilty about… you know."

"Te beach incident? Why would he be feeling guilty about that?"

"I'm not sure… Maybe it's because he was the one who convinced Kento to go to the beach with him."

"But he wanted to go, anyway. Nothing could have stopped them, or that sudden storm." He lifted his book again. "Cye's smart enough to know that." He finished, going back to his own business. Sage knew Rowen had a point, but he couldn't shake his uneasy feeling.

Just down the hall, Cye was sitting up against the headboard, his light blue comforter pooling on his lap. Again, his eyes were directed outside, where he knew the lake was. He was always fond of the water, but after what they'd been through, he had to question the safety and reliability of his element. He'd almost gotten them both killed, and if he had just been paying attention-! The knock at the door startled him a little, and he turned his head as the door opened. Who else but Kento would be standing there, although, he had a look of shock on his face at seeing Cye sit up in bed. He hadn't been able to manage that on his own in a while.

"Cye… are you feeling better?" He asked in a hopeful tone, and Cye lightly nodded. Still, he tried to avoid direct eye contact. Kento saw this and felt guilty, himself as he walked in with a book and a tray of food.

"Um, hey, I didn't know what you were in the mood for, so I brought up a variety! Chips, a sandwich, some juice a cookie…! Anything else you might want? Hmm?"

Cye shook his head and looked back, almost blankly, out the window. Kento didn't like it, and he set the tray down before seating himself almost roughly on the end of Cye's bed.

"I wont accept head shakes or nods or shrugs today, Cye! Come on, it's been a week! You need to start talking again!" Cye didn't have a body movement for that.

"Cye… Cye, for god's sake, at least LOOK at me when I'm talking to you! This has got to STOP!" But how could he look at him? How?

"Cye, say something right now or I'm just gonna walk out! Come on… I know you want to talk, so stop hesitating!" Kento could be rough when he was determined, but Cye hoped he wouldn't get physical like the last time he'd yelled like this. It was two days ago, when Cye was faced with him. Kento had lost his temper and shook him roughly, rattling his already hurting ribs. It took Ryo and Rowen to pull him away. Kento had never been forceful with him before, and it only fueled his guilt. After another moment, Kento stomped his feet and padded out quickly, slamming the door as he left, and the sound of it made Cye cringe. He wanted to talk, to get this messy event behind them, but how could he face Kento again?

"When it was all my fault… oh, Kento…" Cye curled up over his knees as far as his ribs would allow, and he let his tear of frustration fall freely down over his swollen cheeks. Though he was upset, Kento hadn't really left the hallway, and he stopped when he heard those words. He put an ear to the door, but he wouldn't dare go back inside after the scene he'd just made.

"I'm sorry… I'm sorry… I'll say it a thousand times, I'm sorry…!"

Kento had to try hard to contain his own tears, and he stayed at the door, unable to move away. Leaning his head on the door, he cursed behind his teeth, but not in anger.


End file.
